Speaker

Jan Marian is an experienced diplomat specializing in Eastern European affairs. He holds a BA in International Studies and an MA in Russian and Eastern European Studies from Charles University, with study stays at the University of Durham and St. Petersburg State University.

Marian began his career in 2003 at Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung and served as Executive Director of Civic Belarus and consultant for the Prague Security Studies Institute from 2006 to 2008. He joined the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2008, where he managed the Russian Federation, Belarus, and Eastern Partnership agenda.

From 2014 to 2018, Marian was a COEST Delegate for Eastern Europe and Central Asia at the EU in Brussels. Returning to the MFA, he focused on counter-disinformation and CFSP coordination from 2018 to 2022. He had a brief posting at the Czech Embassy in Moscow in 2021 and served as Acting Director of the Department of Communications and Special Envoy for the Eastern Partnership in 2022.

Since 2023, Marian has been the Deputy of the Cabinet Minister, contributing significantly to Czechia’s foreign policy and international relations.